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Casino Network Penetrated by Internet-Connected Fish Tank

There was a vulnerability in a fish tank connected to the Internet, and attackers used it to penetrate a casino’s network. This sort of event will of course become more common as more devices are connected to the Internet. A fish tank of all things is amusing, but it should also be seen as a warning sign for the more serious attacks via Internet-connected devices yet to come.

Hackers are constantly looking for new ways to access people’s data. Most recently, the way was as simple as a fish tank.

The hackers attempted to acquire data from a North American casino by using an Internet-connected fish tank, according to a report released Thursday by cybersecurity firm Darktrace.

The fish tank had sensors connected to a PC that regulated the temperature, food and cleanliness of the tank.

“Somebody got into the fish tank and used it to move around into other areas (of the network) and sent out data,” said Justin Fier, Darktrace’s director of cyber intelligence.

The casino’s name and the type of data stolen were not disclosed in the report for security reasons, Darktrace said. The report said 10 GB of data were sent out to a device in Finland.

“This one is the most entertaining and clever thinking by hackers I’ve seen,” said Hemu Nigam, a former federal prosecutor for computer crimes and current chief executive of SSP Blue, a cybersecurity company.

As more products with the ability to connect to the Internet become available, opportunities for hackers to access data through outside-the-box ways have risen. The report, which was first reported by CNN, comes a few days after the FBI warned parents about the privacy risks of toys connected to the Internet, which could help a hacker learn a child’s name, location and other personal information.